the worst handler ever!!!!
Saturday in class at the end we were told to run one segment we really wanted to work on. I choose the teeter (Marley's favorite) and a series of two jumps looping back to the tunnel and then the same jump. seemed easy enough. apparently if you can walk and chew gum at the same time it was, I however got told after three attempts to put my poor dog in her crate and I quote "I can't allow you to confuse her any more than you already have!" then I got a nearly private lesson on how to do the sequence - without a dog! - and then graduated to my instructors dog who is pretty fool proof - yeah right. so my homework assignment of this week - play with my dog and let her bump and jump all over me. I am apparently not enough fun (besides not being able to run two jumps without dropping my hand and my shoulder 
I did get to keep Morgan all throughout his rally lesson - but i think that's because she was feeling sorry for m - not because I was handling him any better than I was poor Marley. |
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Oh my. I must admit that was not very encouraging about your skills when they put your dog in the crate so you do not mess her up any more. 
The only reason I can laugh is because if you, me and Kristine all lived in the same state we could form a club of "bad handlers". I sympathize with you actually because there are days I think I am too blonde for this stuff. Hang in there - you will get better. And as everyone tells me when I lament Harry being stuck with me as a handler: "Your dog wouldn't run with anyone else but you" And I know that is true. |
SheepieMommy wrote: Hang in there - you will get better. And as everyone tells me when I lament Harry being stuck with me as a handler: "Your dog wouldn't run with anyone else but you"
And I know that is true. See - therein lies the problem: most of mine will!!!! 
<hey, Ron! Love the santa smiles!!!> Just because we live in three different states does not mean we cannot form our own little club 
My agility intructor hasn't (yet) made me put the dog away before I confuse her beyond repair, but I think there have been several occasions when she wished she could send ME to the crate!  
It's part of the learning process. I figure learning agility, for me at least, is like the first part of some 12 step program: 1) admit that you are awful 2) find an instructor with the skills, persistence and sense of humor to not hate making you less awful. Even better if they love a challenge, because then they aren't satisfied with making you less awful, but will push you to become rather acceptably good. If nothing else then to save themselves from having to suffer through Incompetent Instructor's Syndrome
Kerry, keeping arms up and shoulders where they need to be comes with repetition until you don't have to think about it and it's an automatic response. I often find I have to run many sequences many times without the dog. And even then... (And I've many times be told to "stop thinking about it and just do it!" Something about over analyzing everything to death? )
Then suddenly I "get" something and we stumble on some other gaping hole in my handling education. If it was that easy it just wouldn't be worth doing. Let's face it, the one thing all three of us have in common is that we're pigheaded to a fault
So what shall we call the club and do we have to hold incompentency testing to determine who will be president or do we just rotate it say, every week or so?
Kristine (just had to get more of those santa smiles in) |
| Ok, I need to join this club SERIOUSLY!
I believe that my Rally instructor would like it very much if I left Luca at home so I could learn how to do Rally on my own and would stop confusing him more. You should hear the exasperation in her voice every time I do one of those blasted tasks wrong! I swear I end up looking like someone who can't find their way out of a paper bag let alone find my way in a Rally course...at least in agility I can make my way through a course without getting lost...I just don't handle perfectly 
Then to add insult to injury some of my classmates proceed to give me another 15-20 minute lecture on how to work with my dog. Not that I am any great handling wizard because I am totally not, but I have been known to handle a dog decently at the very least...on a really, really, really good day...when luck was in my favor
On behalf of Luca and other dogs ruined by their handlers, I would like to recommend that there be an award given every year to the dog who has had to put up with the worst handler... My name no doubt would be near the top of that list I'm sure. |
| Maybe the instructor can put down road stripes and little feet cut-outs to help with where to go and stand, and then manequins for how to hold your arms and shouldners......now that could be confusing. |
SheepieBoss wrote: Maybe the instructor can put down road stripes and little feet cut-outs to help with where to go and stand, and then manequins for how to hold your arms and shouldners......now that could be confusing.
You may have something there.
Work out the logistics, and you obviously have a target market!!! You guys are hardly encouraging me for when I start agility.
I just really, really hope that some of the body language I have hopefully mastered in my other dog and horse sports will help me out. Advanced English Equitation classes - they REALLY pick on you! |
| That's so funny! Every time Bella makes a mistake, the instructor makes me realize I am giving her the wrong instruction. She learns quickly, I learn slowly. Even in last weeks trial, with all of the practice with front crosses, when I used it I used the wrong arm to send her to the next jump. She got it, but it was a fluke......I'm worried I will never get it but it helps to hear that with practice it will become automatic...not there yet, lol! |
| My favorite STUPID thing I do to Harry in training is my "release" word. It is OKAY and I chose it so long ago - back when he was a puppy in basic obedience. But do you realize how much you use the word "okay" when somebody is giving you instructions - like your trainer or a judge? Such as when you are at the start line and the judge says "Whenever you are ready" Naturally I would utter "Okay" Fortunately, Harry is not only smarter than me but he is smart enough to figure out how to compensate for me. Thus he actually has deciphered when "okay" is directed at him - about one out of ten "okays".
And as an added laugh - Kristine told me that is her release word too! Hey Kerry, what is your release word? Maybe this was an early sign that this "sport" is too hard for me. |
SheepieMommy wrote: My favorite STUPID thing I do to Harry in training is my "release" word. It is OKAY and I chose it so long ago - back when he was a puppy in basic obedience. But do you realize how much you use the word "okay" when somebody is giving you instructions - like your trainer or a judge? Such as when you are at the start line and the judge says "Whenever you are ready" Naturally I would utter "Okay"
Fortunately, Harry is not only smarter than me but he is smart enough to figure out how to compensate for me. Thus he actually has deciphered when "okay" is directed at him - about one out of ten "okays". And as an added laugh - Kristine told me that is her release word too! Hey Kerry, what is your release word? Maybe this was an early sign that this "sport" is too hard for me. Been there, done that one.
I used to use OK, and realized the need to switch. I always have dogs at some point in the training, so finding a good time to switch release commands was the hard part. I finally switched to "all done" - as it was something I could remember! Trust me - it was worth it!! |
Lucali wrote: Ok, I need to join this club SERIOUSLY!
On behalf of Luca and other dogs ruined by their handlers, I would like to recommend that there be an award given every year to the dog who has had to put up with the worst handler... My name no doubt would be near the top of that list I'm sure. Oh, they have their OWN club for that. Their newsletter even features a "You're Not Going to Believe What My Handler Did This Time!" section
Rally is hard till you learn the signs. Sheesh, Gale used to get confused and she has put a UD and CDXs and a smattering of agility titles on dogs and still managed to get Bebe's RAE. Tell your instructor to lighten up and the proper way to deal with the matter is to simply do what my agility instructor does and quietly APOLOGIZE to the dog for his/her handler's incompetence, promise to FIX the problem for them, and move on
Kristine |
SheepieMommy wrote: My favorite STUPID thing I do to Harry in training is my "release" word. It is OKAY and I chose it so long ago - back when he was a puppy in basic obedience. But do you realize how much you use the word "okay" when somebody is giving you instructions - like your trainer or a judge? Such as when you are at the start line and the judge says "Whenever you are ready" Naturally I would utter "Okay"
Fortunately, Harry is not only smarter than me but he is smart enough to figure out how to compensate for me. Thus he actually has deciphered when "okay" is directed at him - about one out of ten "okays". And as an added laugh - Kristine told me that is her release word too! Hey Kerry, what is your release word? Maybe this was an early sign that this "sport" is too hard for me. hmmm - "okay" but Marley knows whe its an off hand okay and an okay followed by a command. now morgan - he doesn't quite have the "stay" concept anyway so it doesn't matter how I release him |
SheepieMommy wrote: My favorite STUPID thing I do to Harry in training is my "release" word. It is OKAY and I chose it so long ago - back when he was a puppy in basic obedience. But do you realize how much you use the word "okay" when somebody is giving you instructions - like your trainer or a judge?
And as an added laugh - Kristine told me that is her release word too! I must not be a very agreeable person because I've used "OK" as my release word with countless dogs and the only time I've ever gotten in serious trouble with it was fairly recently when I put Sybil in a down stay so I could pay attention to what my agility instructor was explaining to me. She'd instruct me to do something, I'd say "OK" and my dog would pop up out of the down. I thought she was being disobedient (! ) I'd shoot her a dirty look, tell her to down and then do it again. My instructor let it slide twice before she pointed out what I was doing. I think she was hoping I'd figure it out on my own but no dice
Kristine |
| OK, saving my most stupid handler trick for last:
The last time I showed in breed I was futzing to set Mace up because she wouldn't stand as I stacked her while the judge stood back to look at the outline of my dog. Then he came up to examine her head, bent down to whisper in her ear, stood back up, looked me straight in the eye and said: "Your dog would like you to know that this is a short-backed breed and you shouldn't stretch her out like that when you set her up." Since there was no hole opening up in the floor to dive into, I simply muttered "yes, sir". He then leaned back over my dog, looked her straight in the eyes and mock whispered: "I told her. It will be OK now" He put her up anyway and actually complimented me on my handling when we had the picture taken, but I'm pretty sure that was just so I wouldn't be so embarrassed I'd never show again
I think with this I have covered all venues in terms of handler incompetence and expect to receive a special "versatile incompetent handler" award at the annual club meeting...
Kristine |
Mad Dog wrote: "Your dog would like you to know that this is a short-backed breed and you shouldn't stretch her out like that when you set her up." Since there was no hole opening up in the floor to dive into, I simply muttered "yes, sir". He then leaned back over my dog, looked her straight in the eyes and mock whispered: "I told her. It will be OK now"
Kristine I was there & he REALLY did do that! I guess that's one way to make you remember forever to not stretch out the rear! |
Mad Dog wrote: I think with this I have covered all venues in terms of handler incompetence and expect to receive a special "versatile incompetent handler" award at the annual club meeting... Kristine I think this is a GREAT idea! You could definitely have a running shot at it... My class last night was even worse...the instructor actually took my dog from me and proceeded to handle him for me. This was completely warranted however. In the middle of the course Luca stopped working altogether....why... well that became clear after the demonstration. It appears as though I have gotten sucked into Luca's persuasiveness and was paying him for doing the bare minimum and sometimes bribing him(ok, most of the time to make up for my awful ques). He knows all the commands but had started selectively doing things. In fact, last night he through in the towel altogether and decided he just wanted the treat. So we started over, sans food. He wasn't thrilled but by the end of class realized that work needed to be completed BEFORE he got paid. So even though my handling was rather crappy...I did make some progress, obviously not to Luca's liking.
How come I have to re-learn this every few months? Can there be an award for the shortest memory added too? |
| Well, at least now I know what to get you for Christmas!
Let's see...  Who does a good job of outlining the hows and whys of RANDOM reinforcement "schedules"????
Mindy used to take Belle from me all the time. She always looked like a million bucks when she did.
Don't worry. No one who "borrows" Luca from you is apt to do so for very long... 
Kristine |
| Ok you guys are REALLY scaring me. Isn't agility supposed to be FUN???
Whats with all this stuff about being awful handlers? Is it really all our fault that the dog goes around the jump instead of over. The dogwalk? For sissys. Weave? What is that??? And the teetar? Uh uh not doing that scary thing!!! Really....we are having FUN!!!! |
| We're just having fun with that fact that this stuff is hard. That makes the milestones that much sweeter.
You have to be able to laugh. So, yes, it is fun. But it's also challenging and exciting and incredibly satisfying when it all comes together. And when it doesn't? That's when you have to be able to laugh at yourself. For the dog, since they never saw the course map, don't give a damn about scores and placements and qualifying and titles, it's always about pure fun. Even a rotten handler can be a good partner in terms of making sure the dog has fun every single run, even if it means covering up that you just made 17 major booboos - also known as handler errors - on a 14 obstacle course - and letting the dog think that although you managed to totally rearrange the poor judge's course, it was exactly what you intended to do all along
Kristine |
| Ok I think I want in on this group. Miley is so much better with my instructor - heck I think I could hand the lead over to alot of people and they would do better. But if nothing else I have had a great laugh at myself. Apartenly I do not know my left from my right
I would love to know what goes on in Miley's head because sometimes she looks at me like I am crazy - you want me to do what??? |
| OK, (not the release word) I have my most recent stupid move in the ring.
We were at a rally trial a few weekends ago. We got a score of 94. We were tied with another dog for 2nd, and the 1st place dog had a 95. As we were getting our awards, the judge told me to stay in the ring - she wanted to talk to me.
So, I hung out nervously until all got their ribbons and were leaving. She turned around and said "oh, YOU". I was petrified. She said "don't touch your dog's butt to sit as you come into the ring. That is a handler error. Seeing you did it right in front of me, I had to take the 3 points off. AND, you would have been my 1st place dog!!" and proceeded to mock-cuff me across the forehead. I could have died.......then I was mad, as I cost us a 1st place.  |
| Oh Dawn I can relate - sort of. I keep getting told in class "stop XXX" fill in the touching the dog move of your choice and I get this dumb (okay dumber) look on my face and say "I did that?"
apparently touching him is automatic and I have to be much more concious of it. now someone of your caliber...... |
Mad Dog wrote: For the dog, since they never saw the course map, don't give a damn about scores and placements and qualifying and titles, it's always about pure fun.
Really?
It seems to me that Harry has seen a course map and it is different than mine. And I am pretty sure his course map does not have a table on it. In any case, HE is having fun.
Oh yeah, he seemed way more interested in picking up his ribbon at the awards table and no interest in the toy. So I am not sure that he is totally indifferent - he seemed a little miffed at me the last time we won a game and I declined the reward. |
| Well, Sybil is off killing her toy as I write.
Today was her agility debut. Knowing me I'm sure I'll have lots more to write about, some day perhaps even including the emotional ride it took to get here, starting before her conception even. But for now let's just say that I thought she'd be a social butterfly, and she did not dissappoint.
In JWW, a detour to tour the ring after the third jump resulted in an off-course (wrong side of s tunnel - an instant NQ), but then she pulled it together and finished the course very respectably, including nailing the weavepoles. I really did not know what to expect in Standard as the weaves were the third obstacle and they were flanked by the table - always a favorite . She did head for the table, but she came back and then hit the weaves and once we were past that I figured, well, it should only get easier after this. I think I was still thinking that three obstacles later when she blew past the a-frame and stuck her head in a barsetter's lap That cost us a refusal, and, of course, time as she snuffled the poor woman' pockets (did I mention ? So proud ) But she came back and finished very nicely, netting herself her first agility Q plus a fourth place, despite her intermittant blonde behavior.
Handler was not hideous only because the courses were really very straightforward, so no fancy footwork required. The biggest thing I walked away with was how incredibly proud I was of her contacts and her table. She hit her contacts and held them, and she slid right into a down on the table with no prompting beyond the command 'table'.
Tomorrow, however, is apt to be a "sit" on the table. That we haven't worked much on. I could be in for some interesting surprises.
Anyway, we've still got a long way to go, but you have to start somewhere. It's so good to be back. 
I'll be sure to share photos of Sybil shopping in her reindeer antler glory once a friend shares with me... 
Kristine |
| i"ve been wondering how it went!! Congrats to the two of you.
it will be interesting to heare what she has in store for tomorrow - have to say the pocket snuffling resulted in some "misplaced" soda on my key board |
| Congratulations Sybil and Kristine.
We had better hurry up and find a trial to go to together or Sybil will be a retired Champion before Harry ever even gets a Q in Standard.
Mad Dog wrote: But she came back and finished very nicely, netting herself her first agility Q plus a fourth place, despite her intermittant blonde behavior.
Hey should I be offended by the above remark or am I too blonde to take offense? |
| How very Sybil!!!
Chewie sends congrats to his little sister  and
Good job, both of you! |
SheepieMommy wrote: We had better hurry up and find a trial to go to together or Sybil will be a retired Champion before Harry ever even gets a Q in Standard.
It's SYBIL. I wouldn't be too worried. You never know which personalities will show up on any given day
No - you should not take offense at the blonde statement. I mean it as a state of mind, not a state of being
In terms of obstacle performance she is sooo much better trained than previous dogs. But you know what? I learned that the hard way. In terms of her startline stay...let's just say I'm not significantly putting it to the test yet...my lead outs are very short these days.
Kristine |
| Well, in the ongoing saga of the competition for worst handler, I am surprised to be losing (here, I thought, would be a game significantly stacked in my favor )thanks to Sybil who has decided to significantly humble me and make me take back every rude thing I've said about her. Well, at least some of them.
She picked up her second Novice standard leg with a 4th place again. This time she managed to contain her social inclinations until we crossed the finish line and she ran up to one of the people working the table and stuck her head in her lap. The woman, an experienced dog person no less! was no help and kept cooing to her as I told Sybil to "leave it!" She has a way of flirting with people which is apparently quite effective
Not satisified with that she won her novice jumpers with weaves class. Yes, I was floored and took her on a big shopping spree afterwards Even her instructor looked a little shocked when I ran into her later - I think that's a bad sign?
Later we did something that made the AKC rep inform me that if my dog bit me, it would be well deserved!!!
Look for evidence of that little escape in the pictures section later when a friend gets a chance to send it to me
An unbelievably fabulous day with so many old agility friends I haven't seen in what seems like forever and one happy I think it's offical now agility dog. We're off to take a nap. Oh, and Kerry - Marley's uncle Kodi picked up his first Open JWW leg with a second place - Kathi just moved him up this weekend. A very good day for sheepdogs in agility!!!
Kristine & Sybil....happy! happy! zzzzzzzzzz |
| Congrats again!! and double this time.
She is getting less Sybil-esque all the time. Maybe she just needed a real job, not all that fake practice. |
got sheep wrote: Congrats again!! and double this time.
She is getting less Sybil-esque all the time. I do believe this is the real Sybil and Kristine has just been having fun trying to lower our expectations
Great Job!!!! and tell Kathi Marley sends a big snarf to her uncle Kodi (hey in that group it just be a sign of affection ) |
| Quick update before I pass out. Sybil earned her Novice Agility title this morning with a less than stellar run due to handler (gee, I'm just SHOCKED ) but with a second place all the same, making her
Masquerade Must Be Madness NA as well as pretty darn pleased with herself!!! We had another off course on jumpers yesterday and she came off the startline blazing this afternoon, but handler error caused a mishap on a blind cross - oops! Jumpers remains my favorite class though. So much fun to run. We'll take a break from trialing to work on stuff some more, but overall I have to say that despite her propensity to think that EVERYONE there was there for HER, she certainly held up her end of the bargain and never missed a contact, never argued on the table and through eight runs never dropped a single bar. Every time she Q'd, she placed! Very proud of the little girl 
And before Judi decides that SHE is the worst handler ever, she needs to know that I'll still fight her for the title. It took me THREE dogs to finally start to get it right. I bet she can do it in less
Purchased some professional pics. Will share when I get them. So cute. Kristine |
Woohoo - Chewie sends his congrats!!!!
That is quite the marathon weekend - I bet you are pooped.
Very cool that Sybil got her 1st title - go girl!!! You are on a roll |
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